


Cat's Aria

by EriGure



Series: Cat's Cradle [1]
Category: Persona 4
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fire Emblem Fusion, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-15 01:22:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29800812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EriGure/pseuds/EriGure
Summary: Yosuke takes care of his partner after December's final battle.
Relationships: Hanamura Yosuke/Narukami Yu, Hanamura Yosuke/Seta Souji
Series: Cat's Cradle [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2163264
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	Cat's Aria

**Author's Note:**

  * For [InabaCube](https://archiveofourown.org/users/InabaCube/gifts).



> For Cube. Hope you like it~

After the exhausting battle the team had pulled through - first with the cop that started all this misery, then with the freaky eyeball thing that seemingly came out of nowhere - Yosuke wanted nothing more than to stay home and sleep until noon. Carrying his limping partner on their way back to the backlot from the distorted Inaba, however, made him rethink his plans.

“Hang on,” the Sage announced to the team as they were about to exit the TV, “Yu and I have something to do before we leave.”

“What could possibly be more important than taking the culprit to the police after all is said and done, senpai?” Naoto inquired.

“I need to heal Yu for a bit,” Yosuke stated. It was better if he were being transparent with his trusted friends, anyway. “I can’t bring him back home in this state, he’s hurt.”

“Then why don’t you pay the fox?” Chie asked. “It’s better to get home than stay here anyway. It's still dangerous.”

“Short on cash,” Yu wheezed, “And… it was my idea.”

“It has to do with his cat form, so…” Yosuke continued. “It’s better if I look after him here than on the other side.”

“Should I help you look at it?” Yukiko offered, but he shook his head.

“Nah, you’re exhausted already,” he told his fellow Sage, “I still have some energy left. You guys go on ahead, I’ll take care of this.”

“Ya need someone t’ stay on this side, tho, senpai,” Kanji spoke, “What if some damn Shadow came outta nowhere and attacked you?”

“You’re right, but we won’t go anywhere other than the backlot.” Yu sighed. His ears were drooping and he had been wincing in pain for a while. “Teddie? Would you might helping Sensei guard the entrance while others go through? Sensei’s been really tired.”

“Of course, Sensei!” the bear-Dragon chirped, and Yosuke had to hold back a smile despite his amusement. That bear bounced back surprisingly quickly, especially when the matter of concern was Yu's well-being. “Anything for Sensei!”

“If you’re sure,” Rise nodded her head in acknowledgement. She ushered the others through the TVs placed at the middle of the backlot and waved at the two boys. “We’ll take care of things from here. See you on the other side, senpai!”

The Sage waved his hand in return and waited until Rise safely went through the television set before helping his partner seated on the floor.

* * *

A while later, Yosuke was gently holding his partner’s left paw on his palm. The Sage massaged the paw and checked the Cat’s face to see if it was hurting. Each time Yu’s nose wrinkled when he felt hurt, Yosuke slowed down and adjusted until he could see his partner’s relaxed features on his face. The Sage then opened the cork of the vulnerary and poured a little bit over the paw, massaging gently until he could feel the muscles healed. 

“Better?” he asked, and the Cat answered with a purr. Yosuke did the same with the other paw.

The Sage had meant to have his partner’s paws looked at a while ago, after their battle against Namatame’s Shadow; however, with the whirlwind of events and emotions that happened during November and December, that completely slipped his mind. It wasn’t until half of the last fight, when he noticed Yu wincing after taking a turn swinging his paws, that Yosuke remembered.

_ Better late than never, _ he thought,  _ or Yu’s paws might be permanently damaged. _

Yu laid solemnly onto Yosuke’s lap, purring up a storm as the Sage petted his head and gently scratched the burn marks on top. From what he could see of the leftover scar, that blasted cop must have shot Yu last night and barely missed him by an inch. Yosuke could vividly remember the devastated look in Yu’s eyes the moment he walked out of the large plasma screen, as if he had just seen a ghost. The Sage shuddered at that. Yamano-san, Konishi-senpai, Yu… just how many lives were the blasted cop planning to ruin for his own entertainment?

_ All the more reasons to be glad this is over. _

Yosuke poured the salve over Yu’s back and rubbed it, earning him a small whine and a purr?

“You seem comfy,” Yosuke commented.

“Mrow,” Yu let out a content sigh, “You’re very good with your hands. It's  _ purr _ fect.” 

_ At least some things never change. _

“Must have felt better if you have the energy to make a cat pun.”

“Mmm,” he purred, apparently relishing in the touch. 

Yosuke retrieved the nearest Recover staff, careful not to rouse his partner from his journey to Slumblerland. Quietly, the Sage hummed a small tune he learnt from Susano-o in his dreams, watching as the magic from the staff hit the Cat’s back. Yosuke could feel the muscles tensed slightly and relaxed under his fingers as he continued to rub his partner’s back. The Cat purred up a storm, the rumbling sound from his throat felt like music to his ears, soothing the Sage’s furrowed brow and worrying heart.

_ There was a myth that a cat’s purr has healing qualities, _ he mused,  _ and they were right. _

Teddie marched to their place as Yu closed his kitty eyes and embraced the warmth. Seeing his sensei lulling himself to a catnap might have drawn some sort of inspiration, as the ex-shadow rolled over to the other side and leaned on Yosuke’s shoulder.

“Is Sensei feeling any better?” the Dragon asked in a whisper, as if he were afraid of waking Yu.

“Yeah, he’s fine now,” Yosuke replied.

“Yay,” he cheered quietly, “I don’t like it when Sensei is sad.”

“Me neither, Ted,” the Sage nodded, “All the more reason to make him happy, hmm?”

“Yup,” the bear replied after a yawn, “That’s why we’re gonna throw a huge party for Sensei and Nana-chan when she gets out of the hospital.” 

_ Ever the optimistic. Never change, Teddie. _

“Sure. I’ll talk with the others when we get out of here.”

* * *

They could not stay any longer, of course. Teddie did not smell any Shadow other than himself, but they reckoned that lingering around was too risky anyway. Yosuke woke Yu up from his little catnap, checking one last time for any signs of discomfort; and together with Teddie, he and Yu crawled through the small entrance back to Junes.

Inaba was finally lifted from the fog that clouded them for weeks. As the team walked down the street, they could feel the sun shining brightly on his skin despite the winter cold. The townsfolk had abandoned their face masks and all went outside to bask in the sunlight. Yu and Yosuke caught up with the team and were ushered into a group hug - all of his friends were relieved to finally be able to see each other’s faces without glasses or the thick fog blinding them. 

After more than eight months of trying to solve a puzzle too large for any of them to handle, two of which were especially emotional draining, the team could finally give a loud cheer, beautiful smiles adorning their faces.

Things were starting to look up from now on.

**Author's Note:**

> Re: Cat's Cradle - Yes, the IT knows Yu is half cat.
> 
> Everybody's classes and affinities in this fic (FE Tellius mechanics):
> 
> Yu (Earth) - Cat  
> Yosuke (Wind) - Sage  
> Chie (Water) - Halberdier  
> Yukiko (Dark) - Princess  
> Kanji (Light) - Warrior  
> Rise (Thunder) - Heron  
> Teddie (Heaven) - White Dragon  
> Naoto (Fire) - Paladin


End file.
